#086 – Planned Parenthood in Latham, NY

Listen to the Call:

Transcript:

RECORDING: Thank you for calling Upper Hudson Planned Parenthood. If you know the extension of the person you wish to reach, please enter it now. For our office hours, please press 1. To make or change an appointment, please press 2. To obtain test results, please press 3. To speak with someone regarding a medical matter, please press 4.

If you need to speak to a nurse, press 1. If you need to speak to a counselor, press 2.

Please hold on while I try that extension.

RECORDING: How long has it been since your last pap? Remember, you should have a pap every year. Don’t delay. Ask a representative today.

If you are a teen that lives in Albany, you may be eligible for free, low-cost healthcare services, including annual exams, birth control and other services through the STARS Program. Just ask the representative about STARS.

(Message repeated)

Upper Hudson Planned Parenthood, celebrating quality care and service for 65 years.

Have questions about sexuality? Need information about birth control or reproductive health care? Get the answers to your questions and more, confidentially. Just ask for our education department.

Did you know that we have free, confidential HIV testing for all Upper Hudson Planned Parenthood patients? Ask a representative for details.

You can count on our caring professional staff for special services, including infection checks, prenatal care, abortion and primary care. All of our services are completely confidential regardless of age.

Thanks for holding. We’ll be with you in a moment.

Did you know that you can call our Facts of Life line and get information about reproductive health care? Call 1-888-510-FACT.

CLINIC: Planned Parenthood. Sasha speaking. How may I help you?

CALLER: Hi. Do you guys do abortions there?

CLINIC: Yes, we do.

CALLER: How much does it cost?

CLINIC: They range from 325 to 475. And we do medical and surgical.

CALLER: What’s the difference?

CLINIC: One is you take a pill. It’s called the Mife pill, and the other one is the surgical, which is on the table.

CALLER: Do you have to be a certain age for one or the other?

CLINIC: No.

CALLER: I’ll be 14 in March.

CLINIC: You’ll be what?

CALLER: I’ll be 14 in March.

CLINIC: No, there’s no age. The only thing is, for the medical, you can only receive it if you’re seven weeks or shorter.

CALLER: How do you know?

CLINIC: You’d have to come in. We do a pregnancy test here, then we schedule options with you. And you decide what you want to decide. Then they see how far you are, and we go from there.

Do you have proof of pregnancy?

CALLER: Well, I took a test like over —

CLINIC: A home test doesn’t count.

CALLER: Huh?

CLINIC: A home pregnancy test doesn’t count if you’re coming to us. We need like maybe from a doctor’s office. We have our walk-in clinics every Tuesday and Saturday mornings at 8:30, first come, first served. So you should be here by 8:15. If you come in Saturday, you should be here by 8:15. Get here early.

CALLER: Is it okay if my boyfriend brings me?

CLINIC: That’s fine. The charge for the day will be $34. That includes your options. You’ll do options on Saturday, and then you go from there. So if you make it here by 8:15 Saturday morning —

CALLER: My friend told me that you guys have to tell my parents —

CLINIC: No, we don’t.

CALLER: — that I’m having an abortion.

CLINIC: No, we don’t.

CALLER: Because there’s no way they can find out.

CLINIC: We are confidential. The only way I can see them finding out is if you tell them or — they can’t call here and ask about you. We don’t give out information. The only way they would know is if you tell them or if you use their insurance, and you’re under their insurance.

CLINIC: Yeah. But you have to be under it. If you’re not under it, then it will just have to be cash.

CALLER: Is it all right if he pays cash?

CLINIC: That’s fine. We just don’t take checks. We take cash for it.

CALLER: Okay.

CLINIC: That’s all. Just don’t use your parents insurance, and you should be okay. No, we don’t tell your parents. So if you could get here by 8:15 Saturday morning, I guess they can tell you maybe how far you are, do the options, see what you decide, and we’ll go from there. And we usually schedule the abortions within a week.

CALLER: If it turns out after they take the pregnancy test that I wasn’t —

CLINIC: Only if you’re less than 12 weeks. What were you going to ask?

CALLER: Well, do you guys do birth control there?

CLINIC: We do that too. What’s your zip code? I just need your zip code.

CALLER: Well, I live in Clarksville.

CLINIC: No, what’s the zip code?

CALLER: Why do you need that?

CLINIC: I just want to know if maybe you’re eligible for your STARS card. That’s why I want to know what your zip code is.

CLINIC: Oh, okay. Well, I just was wondering if it was within a certain range. Normally, our teenagers participate in a STARS program, which qualifies them for their annuals. They get birth control pills.

CALLER: Well, I just don’t want anybody to know about it.

CLINIC: What do you mean? Like your family?

CALLER: Yeah.

CLINIC: Oh, they wouldn’t know about it — that’s what I’m trying to tell you — if you were to sign up for a STARS program.

CALLER: Is it okay if I can give you my boyfriend’s zip code for that when I talk to him?

CLINIC: What’s his zip code?

CALLER: Well, I don’t know. I’d have to ask him.

CLINIC: If that’s the case — because you know you need to come in and fill out paperwork.

CALLER: Yeah.

CLINIC: When you do the paperwork — what we do is that we call. It depends on what you want us to say. Do they want to say Planned Parenthood when we call, do they want us to say “doctors,” or do you want us to just say your their friend Julia. We call, and I say, “Hi. Is Amy there?” “Who’s calling?” “Oh, Julia.” And if they say, “Oh, she’s not here, take a message.” “No message, I’ll call back.”

That’s how we do it. Or if she doesn’t know Julia, “Oh, okay, well,” — we do not tell information to the parents because that’s confidential. No one in this office tells. It’s totally confidential. So I don’t know where your girlfriend got that information from.

CALLER: Is it all right if I call you back after I talk to him?

CLINIC: Sure, no problem. So at least you know, if you want to get this done and over, come in Saturday at 8:15. And it will be $34.

CALLER: Okay. What was you name?

CLINIC: My name is Sasha.

CALLER: Okay. Thank you.

CLINIC: You’re welcome. Bye bye.

***END***

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